Process for the electric treatment of cellulose.



A L" gwonm; T ROCESSTGR THE ELECTRIC TREATMENT OF SEL'LULQSE.'V

APPLTCATIGN man HB. 28', 1912.l

Pmenhw0 t 19, 1915..

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LBERT LOUIS CAMILLENODON, 0F BRDEAUX, FRANCE.

'PROCESS FOR THE ELECTRIC TREATMENT OF CELLULOSE.

Application led February 2S, 1913.

To f// H'wm it 111/111/ concern.:

Be it known that I, ALBERT Louis CA- uumr. Notion, a citizen of the French Republic. and a resident of 1:2 Rue de Moulis, Bordeaux, F1'ance,.have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating; to Processes for the Electric Treatment oi' Cellulose, ot which the following is a. complete specification.

This invention relates to a process for treating wood and other substances based on cellulose so that they are not liable to putrefaction and also to increase their power of resistance.

The known methods for treating:v cellulose electri'ilytically are expensive, unreliable and imperfect, for when immersing the substance to be treated in vessels half full of saline solution, that part of the substance immersed is more affected than the one out side; on the other hand when first immersingv the substance in saline solutions. and then passing an electric current through. if the substance is too wet, the current passes only through the liquid and never affects in any way the substance to be treated.

The process, according to the present invention, consists in rst immersing the substances to be treated for a short time in a saline solution in order to effect a superficial impregnation and then-submittingr the matter thus impregnated, to the prolonged action of an electric current withthe object of facilitating the current penetrating to the interior of the substances to be treated. The passage ci." the current is facilitated by a certain state of humidity of the cellulose; its effect being suiiieiently lengthened and the ionization caused by the current, produce al complete transformation of the cellulose.

if the eleetroiytic action is suiieiently prolonged the substance resulting lfrom the` isoineritransformation of the celi-uluse is rendered imputrescible and indestructible by the most active destructive agents such as certain mycclinms of wood in the presence of air and heat. That is to say, the electric current destroys certain organic constituents of the cellulose substance which are easily vattacked by the destructive agents of the.

wood. The powers oi resistance of the cellulose is, besides, greatly increased and its physical aspect is not modiied to any great extent.

The accompanying drawing shows,y by

Specification o Letters Patent.

case of s .l

patented Sept. if?, i916.

serial No. wicca way of esampie7 a device permitting of treatinglthe cellulose and its derivatives electrol'vtically.

This device comprises a cement or bitu-` men covered a 1 a arranged on the ground and covered over with a conducting surface b such as, for example, a shecto lead or of galvanized 'iron or a flexible metallic carpet forming one of the electrodes. A carpet of coarse fabric c saturated with water is spread over c electrodes. The substance to be treated y which., in the present instance, I have illustrated consisting of wooden sleepers. previouslj sutlicient-ly nioistencd, is piled up on the carpet electrode, in the shape ot' a regular figure, the height of which corresponds to the electric resistance oi' the substance. Wooden stakes d are dri" i into the ground so-as to Inain .tain the stance in place, especially in the tances other than wood.

The si .ce of the substance to be treated is covered 'ith a carpet electrode similar to that at its base, comprising a carpet of coarse fabrice and an electrode constituted by a conducting surface capable ot covering the exterior surface of the mass to be treated. A network or coat of mail of galvanized steel or a metallic Yfabric of copper or sheet of lead f can be utilized. A heavy .ss i is placed over-the Whole so as to insure the` intimate contact of the device. f

Shallow cement reservoirs j are arranged on the ground in the vicinity of the subsc that the substances to be treated .f "ne immersed so as Ito insure the passage c` the current through the same. iter a 'snort immersion so as to impregnate the substances supericially they are removed and 'placed in racks for further treatment.

Posts provided with switches m, placed in the vicinity of the substance serve to sup ply thc current. Small trucks n permit the substances turbe treated to be readily and quickly transported.

ln the case of thick planks,boards,sleep ers, teiegranhic posts, Wooden pavement-5,'

terposed between theelecrocies amiche sub? e stance indispensable for cquul-iziug ille passage of lille current tlirouglioui 'ills muss lo be treuied.

` lt is necessary ibas he substuuce should lie suitably uioisla'ued for if the humidity is roo grresitlie'cuircus passes only through lie coufluciinsr liquid without touching the ber, bul if the liumiclitf,A is too restricted c'iecric resistance is too great and the,

-reatiueut proceeds slowly und uusqusll).

i Y When using continuous currents, il is afl Wissible to rsvcrse the current through the 'substance about every hall' hour so :is 'to -fsroifl clcc-rolyic lieuoiucua, which would l@ j 'cause the rapid destruccion of the electrodes und carpets. It zis preferable to utilize al- ;"berna'ting curieus of `lou' frequency.

rlllio dura-tion of the treatment is doter- ,mi-nerl bjfilic unical quantity of current to lic ,passcfi through the 'cellulose und by fl-lic density of the current for l1 cubic meter or lie substance boing treated. lt varies, in practice, according to #he nature of., the fibrous inciter, irs degree of humidity and LLilie iliiclruessof the piled up sif france; this urciouf/arics between 1G lo 2Q hours.

iii ilzlslfparticulzir case' of. tile treatment of cui, up woos suc es sleepers., thick planks azul wooden ,puvemciisj ctc, il; is sucicut ii *impregnation is superficial mio ai;-

'siiis iusrely a, few centimcters in thickness, or'uuder zliie :iciou of ilse electric current, `flic liquid is quickly leal rrcclisuicslly lo Elie lic-uri ofthe Woo/d.

The, passage of ille curreui through the cellulose is ucilitaleri ausl lie, protective sscs of lle trea'msu incressenl by pie v iously dissolving, salice sulnscuces iii the iuuncrsioii bel/l1, suoli us sulfse of soda,

mosso? sodium chlorid, zinc chlorid, etc. A solution containing; s quantity 0f1% 0f zinc clxlorifl, for instance, Afacilitatesthe trunsfornmtion of the cellulose, which consiituijes the cssc11- tial parts of Wood.

The process culu be applied to :my substance constituted by the cellulose in n free or agglon'leruted sta-te such as ligneous mutbei', wood, textile plants, textile mutter, :irt'iicisl silk, fabrics,` 'papcrpast`e, paper, etc.

Wht l' claim is: l. .lheliercin described process for. the treatment of cellulose, which consists in .metn ting the cellulose with :in electrical conductim: uid, :md then subjecting the wel; cellu* lose msttor to su electrical curreirtfi the elecw tricsl current changing the direction of its pulsstion at stated'periods.

2. The herein described-process for trcat ing cellulose matter., which consists in immersing the cellulose to be treated in .a saline solution iuitil the cellulose matter has absorbed some of the saline solution, und then subjecting the cellulose matter to an electrical current, the electrical current changing the direction of its pulsation :it stated periods. 1

3., The herein described process of treating cellulose mutter, consisting of immersing the substances to be treated in s saline solution tai-obtain' a, superficial impregnasion` and subsequently subjecting the supericiully impregnated substances to the prolonged aciou of an alternating current of electricity of low frequency.

lu testimony whereof I have hereunto placed my hand ai', Bordeaux this foulth clay of February 1913.

ALBERT LOUIS CMILLE NDGN. 

